RUST magazine: 2016 Honda Africa Twin Special

Dual Sport
combination does. But if you want exemplary
off-road manners then 21/18in is the
way to go. It’s what you’ll find on KTM’s
gnarly 1190 Adventure R. Enough said.
Honda have nailed the suspension
setup at the sharp end, too. The Showa
upside forks offer 230mm of stroke, the
shock 220mm. Again comparing it to that
Adventure R - the orange bike offers
220mm travel front and rear, BMW
R1200GS Adventure: 210/220mm.
So bang in the ballpark.
How well the suspension actually works
we’ll have to see. On the gravel and trails
around the Black Forest - which are quite
well-graded pistes - it felt plush and
secure. But we’d need another venue to
find how it goes in deep sand or more
choppy hard pack.
The ergos, by the way, feel spot on;
totally natural, whether standing or seated.
That said, let’s put a caveat in here: our
test bike featured Touratech bar risers,
footpegs and seat and clearly our German
friends had spent a while optimising their
set-up. Whether the Honda seat is as
optimally firm and flat we’ll have to see.
Likewise maybe the bars at standard
height are just a little too low for sustained
standing riding, if you’re tallish like me.